13 agos 1964 anni - The end of Capital Punishment

Descrizione:

The Homicide Act 1957 made some murders punishable by death, while others would be considered manslaughter and would receive a prison sentence. Sidney Silverman was the Labour backbench MP who introduced the Murder (Abolition of the Death Penalty) Bill, it's second reading carried 355 to 170 votes. In 1965, the death penalty was suspended for 5 years. During this time, murderers who escaped the death penalty kept the issue alive. The Moors Murderers, involving Ian Brady and Myra Hindley killing five children and sexually assaulting four. Their arrest was four weeks after the death penalty had been suspended and so they were given a life sentence. Opinion polls show that support for hanging never went below 60% and went as high as 80% after crimes such as the Moors Murderers. On 16th December 1969, the Death Penalty was abolished.